Background:

The elder statesman of the Canadian Luge Team, Sam Edney and his teammates were poised to win their first ever Olympic medal in the sport in the team relay in 2014, but finished an agonizing fourth.

Heartbreaking – yet motivating. The finish inspired Sam to continue chasing history towards his fourth Olympics in 2018. And he wasted no time putting his name into the record books.

Sam became the first Canadian male to win a World Cup luge race in 2015 when slid to the gold on his home track in Calgary. It may be one of the most heart-warming victories in Canadian sport. Sam won the race while wearing a specially designed helmet created by a young boy, Richard Flamenco, from the Alberta Children’s Hospital as part of Sam’s friend and fellow Olympian, Brad Spence’s Helmets for Heroes program.

What did Sam do for an encore? After taking one year off to recharge the body and get a head start on his schooling, Sam returned for the 2016-17 season, which he capped off by becoming the first Canadian male ever to slide onto the World Cup luge podium outside of Canada. Sam finished in third place on the 2018 Olympic Track in PyeongChang, Korea.

Sam is no stranger to making history by posting the best-ever men’s Olympic result (seventh) in 2010, and chalked up the best men’s singles finish at a World Championships in 2013 when he was fifth on his home track in Whistler – one day before winning the silver medal in the team relay.

Sam made his Olympic debut in 2006 and takes great pride in representing his country around the world. The leader of the Canadian Luge Team, Sam has also won countless World Cup team relay medals around the world.